If Peter Singer’s commentary was made to elicit donations for the charities mentioned, specifically his comment about the Against Malaria Foundation, then perhaps he could further explain why it takes $7,500 for that organization to provide bed nets that will save the lives of only “two or three children.” At that price I would be very hesitant to donate to such an organization. Exactly how many bed nets does $7,500 buy? If bed nets have such a low rate of success in saving lives (especially at that cost), then perhaps it’s time to rethink their mission.

Joan Schobert, Aurora

This letter was published in the Dec. 26 edition.

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In less time than it would take me to compose and type and send this LTE, I found that AMF has an average cost/LLIN of ~US$4.50. Easy enough to see there is a typo somewhere and therefore not worth complaining about what a charity does in Africa for poor people.

Best,

D

peterpi

He needed an excuse not to donate.

peterpi

Back when I was taking Geometry in high school, we had to provide proofs for geometry statements that started with a given step A, and ended with a given step F. We had to break down the proof into seven discrete steps. My problem was that I saw how to get from A to F, but could never break it down into 7 discrete steps. I’d maybe use 2 or 3 steps, but the teacher always insisted I was skipping steps.
Which is to say, I suspect Peter Seeger isn’t really saying mosquito nets cost thousands of dollars apiece, or even hundreds of dollars. Mass produced, they probably cost much, much less than that. But Peter Seeger didn’t break down his extrapolation of mosquito nets to lives saved into discrete steps. He skipped steps that left readers wondering why $7,500 worth of nets saves the lives of only three kids. My Geometry teacher would have told him to try again.
After all, Mr. Seeger also states that $7,500 can provide a dozen or or surgeries, and eye-sight saving treatment for hundreds of kids. Malaria nets can’t be more expensive than surgery or drugs.
Now, it could be argued that Mr. Seeger sees the worth of donations for mosquito nets or surgery or eye drugs, but not so that a dying child can play Batman with the help of volunteers from San Francisco. But that’s a different letter.
Addendum: The UN Foundation’s “Nothing but Net” campaign says a $10 donation will cover the cost of one mosquito net.

DaftPunkd

Wow, that was an intellectually vacuous bit of trolling. “Inadequately vetted” means nothing, and you haven’t made any fact-based claim that DDT isn’t toxic to birds. As far as talking about racism, it needs evidence that effects are targeted at a group because that group is considered less than the dominant group. If you want to call the elimination of DDT racist because its effects disproportionately effect blacks, then you should be ready to admit that GOP policies are racist or sexist when they disproportionately harm women and minorities? Not ready to go there? DIdn’t think so.

Dano2

That con BS disinformation has been debunked soooo many times that all that hokum is good for these days is identifying hopeless cases. It is beyond even a giggle any more, and I doubt the chemical companies even try to dupe these rubes any more with that outdated agitprop.

Best,

D

peterpi

It’s hard to tell whether he’s trolling or he’s serious.
There are alternatives to DDT.
And I guess all those scientists proving the effects of DDT on birds’ ability to properly envelop their eggs with sturdy shells are nothing more than Birkenstock-wearing, commie-sympathizing, enviro-fascists.
thor’s reply reminds me of a Shell Oil (or maybe Gulf Oil) filmstrip a 7th-grade teacher showed us, way back when in my youth, in response to Silent Spring. The message: “Pesticides are good and good for you.”
People don’t get that massive use of pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, etc., creates evolutionary pressure in the target population of beasties that “selects for” resistant beasties. Numerous pests are now DDT-resistant, because DDT killed off the vulnerable individuals, and the individuals with a genetic mutation that allowed them to survive are now thriving and reproducing. These pests eat DDT for breakfast, burp, and move on.
Oh, I forget. thor doesn’t believe in evolution, either.

DaftPunkd

So you’re saying he was serious when he implied anything that kills black people is racist? Is stupid better than troll?

peterpi

1) He has openly stated he thinks baiting liberals is a fun sport. Ever since he “saw the light” and became conservative, he lives to bait liberals.
2) He has also made other, similar arguments about blacks in order to prove conservatives, and himself, are more tolerant than liberals.
So, it’s very possible he thinks banning DDT is racist and/or he’s baiting us.
A) DDT kills mosquitoes.
B) Malaria-carrying mosquitoes kill or harm black African people.
C) Therefore, efforts to ban DDT are racist.

thor

Hey,pete,I’m flattered. Yes,I’m baiting you because you guys make it so easy. A,B and C are correct. Very good. And,yes, I will go to great lengths to destroy liberal arguments that they really do care about minorities. All liberals care about is votes so that they can, as the President put it,change our country.

thor

What it is is no different than some liberal claiming I’m a racist because I disagree with Barack Obama. You can’t have it both ways.

thor

You shouldn’t ask if I’m ready to go there and then answer the question. Of course I’m ready to go there. 1. You gave no more facts about birds than I did. (I guess its the old pot and kettle game people talk about.) 2. GOP policies are not racist nor sexist. Again, you make a baseless assertion and do no better of a job to defend it than you accuse me of doing. 3. Silent Spring wasn’t adequately vetted. People took Rachel Carson’s word that DDT was harmful. Now, they are finding out differently, but its too late. 4. If the preventable murder of millions of blacks isn’t racism,what is it?

DaftPunkd

Thanks you for helping me figure out if this was trolling or ignorance.

thor

You forgot the third choice. Since everyone on here is giving their opinion, the third choice is my opinion.

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